Diesel protest group decries budget fuel tax hike as business crisis

During a protest at the opening of the Storting, the Dieselbrølet action group denounced the government's budget proposal that lifts the CO2 tax and reduces the road-use fee, effectively raising fuel taxes in line with inflation. The change adds 25 øre per litre to gasoline prices and a larger increase for diesel, translating to roughly 17 kroner for a 50-litre fill-up. Jan-Erik Rafoss, the group's leader and a truck owner, warned that the higher diesel cost could push many firms into bankruptcy.

He accused the government of neglecting key sectors such as farming, construction and transport. Rafoss appealed to Centre Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum to refuse signing the budget without diesel tax cuts, and he criticized Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre for ignoring the industry's plight.